Major General who led thousands of soldiers during his unblemished 30-year career and tipped to lead British Army is charged with sex attack

A Major General tipped as a future head of the British Army has become the most senior officer for centuries to be charged with a sex offence.

James Roddis, 52, will appear at a military court this month accused of sexual assault.

The highly-decorated commander has led thousands of soldiers during his unblemished 30-year career and earned multiple bravery awards.

He was a contender to become Chief of General Staff and is only the second Major General to face a court martial in two centuries.

Roddis, a married father-of-three, is understood to have left the Army of his own accord in recent months. The case has stunned comrades. 

He was until recently Director of Strategy at UK military's Strategic Command, responsible for Special Forces units and other secretive intelligence-gathering and cyber units.

He has received the Distinguished Service Order (DSO), the UK's highest award for leadership in combat, and a Mention in Dispatches after serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.

He was made an MBE in 2009 and earned a pair of Queen's Commendations for Valuable Service in 2008 and 2017. He founded the Army's elite Specialised Infantry Brigade in 2017.

Roddis, of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, has been charged under section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act, which covers sexual assault by touching, following a Royal Military Police investigation.

It is extremely rare for an officer of his rank to face court martial.

Major General Nick Welch was jailed for 21 months at a court martial in 2021 after being convicted of fraud over claiming expenses for boarding school fees.

Before that, in 1815 a Lieutenant General, Sir John Murray, was convicted of abandoning his siege guns without due cause in the Napoleonic wars. He was admonished and denied permission to become a member of the Order of the Bath. 

But there are no known previous cases of generals being charged with sex offences. 

Last night an Army spokesman said: 'We expect very high standards of behaviour from all our personnel and take any allegations of misconduct extremely seriously.

'Former Major General James Roddis will appear at Bulford Military Court Centre in Wiltshire on July 17 charged with Sexual Assault contrary to Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. We will not comment further while legal proceedings are ongoing.'

The case is expected to go to trial later this year before a jury of military officers. He was charged after his case was reviewed by the Service Prosecuting Authority, the military equivalent of the Crown Prosecution Service.